Just One Kiss

You know that saying about things in your life being able to change in an instant?

I never really understood how true that was, until puberty hit me smack in the face. Not even giving me a chance to recover.

I mean, how else do I explain my sudden feelings for my best friend?

One day I was writing angsty teen poetry, and the next, all of a sudden, my words were flowery and full of passion. Lines describing feelings for someone that I never thought I would look at in such a way.

At the moment, I sitting on the lounge chair in my backyard next to my friends, scribbling in my journal, while they gossiped among themselves.

They knew better than to disturb me when inspiration struck.

I bent my soul to the point that I shudder in wonder

Of you, making my heart flutter

My mind wanders as I close my eyes

Giving myself to you, memories etched with thunder

Moving covers as we slumber within lust of one another

I may appear to be caught up in ecstasy

Gripping you whole giving my all

Hoping you give something in return-Who knows?

Happy with what I had written, I put my black pen in-between the pages and closed the glossy black book. Seeing that I was finished, my friends wasted no time in bombarding me with their thoughts.

"Damn Kaelyn! Your brother is so bloody fit!" my best friend Jessica said in a hushed tone next to me as she ran her hands through her dark curly hair.

"I know right? Kamdyn Arnauld is goals!" Mindy, my other bestie, added, her cheeks red.

Rolling my eyes at them, "What have I told you two about drooling over my twin in front of me?"

"Would you like us to drool over your father instead? Now that's one fine ass Frenchman," Jessica countered, a dreamy look coming over her face.

"Bloody hell! No! Fantasising about my brother is fine! Please proceed!" I implored and shook my head.

"Thank you!" my best friends said in unison as they went back to ogling Kamdyn.

I made a gagging sound while glancing at my twin who was flexing his muscles at the edge of the pool. By all accounts, my brother was very handsome and I could understand the appeal that he had. Especially when he laughed, Kamdyn had a smile that could light up any room.

We were not identical twins, but fraternal, and we definitely looked like siblings.

Standing at 6'2, Kamdyn was about 3inches taller than myself. We both had natural tans to our skin, seeing as our mother Mikayla was of African and Indian heritage, while our father Damien was French.

Although Kamdyn did not tan as quickly as I did, when he did, his skin acquired a gorgeous golden-bronze tone that everyone would complement him on. My twin took more after my father, in that his eyes were a very intense shade of blue and green, and his brown hair was straighter in texture. My brother also had a great body as a result of the various sporting activities that he participated in.

In contrast, even though I was also active, my body took on a curvier appearance. I was a UK dress size that ranged between 12-16 depending on the designer. This was thanks to my mother Mikayla, as I had inherited her voluptuous shape which included thick thighs and a well-endowed backside.

Something that I used to get teased for, until having a big ass became a fashion accessory.

My own blue-green eyes were a bit lighter in colour and my hair was a fairer shade of brown, blonde in some parts, and had more of a natural curl and wave to it. To be honest, I wished my hair was curlier, like my mother's and Jessica's.

But it was nothing a bit of product and a diffuser attachment could not fix.

Shaking my head clear, I refocused on everything around me. A group of us were hanging out by my house, enjoying the amenities of the indoor pool. The school term had finally come to an end and we were kicking off our freedom with a party.

During the summer, we usually stayed in our hometown of London for a week or two before heading down to Monaco.

Ignoring my friends as they continued to giggle and gush over my brother, my eyes trailed over to his best friend Zayn who was standing next to him, flexing as well. Now to me, Zayn was goals. He was sexy as hell and was secretly the main character in all of my journal entries.

He was 6'3 with a muscular body, thanks to years of swimming and football combined. Zayn was the son of Tariq and Hannah Maalouf. He was quarter Arabic and the rest of his ancestry comprised of British and French descent. Like his father, he seemed to have a permanent 5 o'clock shadow, no matter how often he shaved.

Needless to say, he was panty-dropping gorgeous!

He had thick, luscious dark hair and piercing blue eyes, a combination that made the ladies swoon, both young and old alike. Those eyes basically got him anything that he asked for. They were perfect, if you asked me, as they were shimmery and speckled with various shades of blue and I could get lost in them for hours.

Zayn was popular with the ladies and I could not help but feel jealous of the girls that got to date him, silently wishing that it was me.

On the other hand, while I too was popular with the guys and had my fair share of dates, things never really lasted. Simply because I had two bodyguards in the form of my brother and Zayn, whom I sometimes called Thing #1 and Thing #2.

As a result, most guys did not think that I was worth the hassle of getting their asses beaten repeatedly. So, while the two of them got to date, I had to watch from the side-lines, which was fine by me, as the one I really wanted was clearly unavailable.

The sound of Jessica's voice brought me out of my thoughts.

"Here you go Kae," she handed me a napkin.

"What's this for?" I asked, pulling my gaze away from the pool.

"To clean up the drool at the corner of your mouth," Jessica teased, her white teeth contrasting nicely against her brown skin.

Like myself, she was also of mixed heritage. Her father was Nigerian, while her mother was of British and Filipino descent. She was a few inches shorter than myself with nice wide hips.

Jessica and Mindy had encouraged me to embrace my own curves and not hide when puberty had hit. Although it was a bit hard as Zayn would often tease me, making me feel even more self-conscious.

It was not that he was mean about what he said, it just made me more aware of my feelings for him. Especially seeing as I did not really look like the girls he dated, I often felt a bit inadequate.

Two years so, when I turned sixteen, it was as though a light had gone off in my head and I started experimenting with more form-fitting clothes. Mostly because between Jessica, Mindy and my Aunty Hannah, they threatened to burn my wardrobe.

Narrowing my eyes, I refocused my attention to Jessica and playfully pushed her, "Shut up!"

"It's okay Kae, Zayn is definitely Zaddy material with a capital Z," Mindy added with a grin, as she pulled some of her blonde hair in front of her face to try and stifle her laughter.

"Yea, sucks that he's not just my brother's best friend, but mine as well," I complained, while my eyes glanced back over at him.

As my gaze trailed over his body, slowly admiring his abs, his eyes locked with mine when I reached his face.

Shit! He caught me staring at him. Busted!

Zayn threw me one of his cocky winks as he flexed and I rolled my eyes and shook my head.

He was such a big flirt and, as of late, would always flirt with me every chance he got. My friends always thought that there was more behind it, but I just saw it as him being playful, much to their annoyance.

They called me naive and told me that I needed to open my eyes and see that he was clearly interested in me as more than just a friend. Usually, Zayn's winks would have girls tripping over themselves, myself included, but I never acted like I was affected.

"Who cares if you guys have known each other since the day you were born! You like him, and he obviously likes you so, what's the problem?" Jessica asked, popping a grape into her mouth.

Stretching, I sighed before answering, "The problem is that my brother, Zayn and I have been best friends since the day we were born, like literally! With us being born on the same day, it makes our bond extra special, and I don't want anything to come between that! Also, we don't know if he likes me, you guys just assume..."

Jessica and Mindy made loud exasperated sounds, cutting me off, and they gave each other a look before they rolled their eyes at me, ignoring my last words

"I don't think it would mess things up," Mindy stated before adding, "the fact that you share a birthday I think makes it all the more extraordinary. Not to mention that your mother and father are best friends with his parents and your parents are his god-parents and vice versa!" She paused for a second for dramatic effect, her blue eyes wide, "And you guys live next door to each other as well as you both are at each other's houses all the time. I mean hello! If that isn't easy access, I don't know what is!"

Jessica laughed, her own voice full of enthusiasm, "I know right! I mean how many times has Zayn's mother commented saying that you two need to date."

My face flushed, thinking of the numerous instances that Aunty Hannah had suggested such, "Ugh, don't remind me."

"Zayn's parents are a riot, especially his mother, she really doesn't have a filter for her mouth. I remember this one time we were sleeping over and she was telling Kae's mum to go get some penisssss," Jessica commented with a loud chuckle, her dark brown eyes watering as she laughed hard.

"Oh gods..." I inwardly groan, having heard that phrase one too many times for my liking.

I mean, what teenager wants to think about their parents having sex?

It was bad enough that my parents had no problem with publicly displaying their love for each other. My father was particularly obsessed with my mother's ass, and he could be seen groping it every chance that he got.

An involuntary shudder passed through me and, before I could give the thought any more of my attention, Mindy's voice was heard once more.

"Come on then, let's go in the pool, give these guys a show," the blonde stood up and stretched, looking like she had just stepped off the cover of a fashion magazine.

Unlike Jessica and myself, Mindy did not have as much curves. She was slim, perfect for the runway, and it suited her. I remember wanting to look like her at one point, but then realised that we were both beautiful in our own way.

"I don't know why I allowed you guys to bully me into wearing this bikini. I feel like the strings are going to snap at any time!" I whined and stood up and fidgeted slightly, a bit self-conscious of my large breasts that had appeared on my chest overnight when I was fourteen.

"Pfft Kae, behave! If you don't want those melons of yours, feel free to pass some to us. I think when God was making me, he forgot to give me some breasts to match this big ass of mine," Jessica glanced over her shoulder, checking out her behind.

A soft laugh erupted from me while Mindy snorted and snickered. It was obvious that Jessica was the comedian between us all; she could lighten any mood almost immediately.

Suddenly forgetting about my discomfort, we walked over to the pool.

I could feel people looking at us, but I did not dare look up, knowing that Zayn was among the observers. I could always tell when he was looking at me.

There was a sort of weird magnetic pull between us.

Unfortunately, as I began walking into the pool, I could not help but raise my eyes. As predicted, Zayn was watching me and our gazes locked. The fluttering in my stomach made me nervously lick my lips, and I could have sworn that his eyes darkened.

"It's going to be a long ass summer," I grumbled to myself.

----------

"Mum! Dad! Come on! Get a room!" I exclaim in horror having walked in on them making out in the kitchen.

There stood my father, between his wife's legs while she sat on the counter of the kitchen island. Laughing like two teenagers, I watched as my parents slowly stopped kissing to look over at me.

"How was your pool party today hun? Where's your brother and Zayn?" my mother asked while trying to stifle a giggle as her husband's lips moved to her neck.

Cringing slightly at the scene before me, I tried my best not to look at them while walking towards the fridge. Quickly surveying my options, I grabbed a few things for a quick midnight snack. I could feel my face burn at the sounds of pleasure my mother was clearly trying to stifle.

This was not the first time that I caught my parents like this. I was just grateful that they had their clothes on at least.

"The party was good; Thing 1 and Thing 2 are upstairs playing video games." I replied, while placing the items on the counter before asking, "How was Paris?"

My mother swatted at my father's hand while he attempted to reach for her right buttock, "It was good, but we'll tell you all about it in the morning."

Raising his head to look at me, my father had this big grin as he picked my mother off the counter, "Yeah cupcake, see you in the morning!"

I listened to my mother squeal and watched her cling to my father tightly as he lifted her effortlessly. The look that they gave each other said it all before they laughed and all but ran towards the hallway that led to their bedroom.

The skin of my cheeks got even more heated as I knew what they were about to do.

As embarrassing as they could be, the love that my parents had for each other was something that everyone around them admired. I myself hoped to be able to find such a love and be lucky enough to marry the man of my dreams one day.

Humming softly to myself, I began making a panini sandwich when I suddenly felt strong arms wrap around my waist, pulling me against a hard chest.

"That looks really good..." Zayn's smooth voice greeted my ear while he nuzzled the skin of my neck.

Doing my best to remain calm, I bit my inner cheek to stop myself from moaning at his touch.

Zayn had always been handsy with me, especially whenever we were play fighting or just hanging out. He would always touch me in some way, shape or form. Whether he was hugging me, playing with my hair or just holding my hand. Once we were close to each other, we were usually attached at the hip, so to speak.

This had never been a problem.

Oh no, the problem began when I stopped seeing him as just my silly best friend, but as a male, and a sexy one at that. One whose touch was arousing and had made me feel things that I never had before.

I thought back to when I had first acknowledged my feelings for Zayn.

We were thirteen and he was dating Sarah Williams at the time, and I must confess that while I was happy for him, it had hurt my heart. I felt like a hot spear had pierced my chest. It was as though I was dying, and as I watched them eating ice-cream together, I asked myself what now.

I had been over it in a week, or at least that is what I told myself.

Obviously, since I was pinning over him years later, it was clear that I was not over Zayn. In fact, I was madly in love with him! He is my first love.

As I continued to enjoy being in his arms, he asked, "What are you making, Chipmunk?"

It had been his annoying nickname for me ever since we were children, because I had very large cheeks. My face grew into them, thankfully, but they were still a handful to pinch, which he took great pleasure in doing whenever he could.

At first, I had hated the name. But, over the years, I grew to like it and the numerous variations of it.

When his hands began to move under my pyjama top to play with my skin, a shiver passed through me, bringing me out of my thoughts.

It was then that I realised that I needed to answer him so I replied, "I'm just making a Venetian Panino."

"Oh! With shredded Gruyere cheese and sliced Turkey?" he asked excitedly.

"Yes..." I said while doing my best to ignore his fingers before asking, "Would you like one?"

"Only if you promise to feed it to me," Zayn grinned as he tightened his arms around me.

Laughing softly at his silly antics, I commented, "Well I kind of need my body if I'm to finish making these sandwiches."

"Come on Chipz, you've cooked with me hugging you from behind before, what's different this time?" he asked, while purposefully making his voice sound whiney.

A part of me wanted to tell him the difference was that I loved him and his hand under my top was doing crazy things to my body. But of course, I was too much of a coward to ever say such a thing, so I went with the other option.

"No difference, it's just you know sometimes I can be ticklish and I don't want to accidentally burn myself," I said as convincingly as I could.

He moved his hands a bit higher up my torso; I held my breath as the back of his hand grazed the underside of my breast. Of course, since I was in my pyjamas, I was not wearing a bra, and my nipples instantly got hard. I was so grateful in that moment to have my back against him.

His hands did not move any higher, as his fingers glided over the indent of my waist. I could feel my stomach begin to tighten while my skin tingled at the lightly annoying sensation that started crawling up my sides.

My hands immediately rested on top of his to try and halt his movements while I exclaimed with a laugh and squirmed, "Zayn! Please don't tickle me!"

He chuckled softly and stilled his fingers once more, "Okay I'll stop, but I don't want to let go, you're so cuddly."

"Are you calling me fat?" I frowned, my lips pressing into a thin line.

I swore that I heard him growl before he suddenly pulled me even tighter against him. The feel of his muscular thighs pressing against my behind caused me to sigh softly.

"You know that you're not fat, I love your curves..." Zayn's voice trailed off as he buried his face in my neck, clearly enjoying the vanilla-scented cream that I wore.

"Uh huh," I mumbled.

Biting my bottom lip, I did my best to try and not let my insecurities take over while my body was pressed against him. Just as I could feel every hard outline of his muscles, I knew that he could feel my curves.

"Would I pretend to be your boyfriend if I thought you were fat?" Zany asked as I felt him smile.

Letting out a fake gasp, I stamped my foot on his, "Such a pig! And here I thought you were doing it to help keep the creeps away while at the mall!"

"Ow Chippy! I was just kidding!" He then moved to nuzzle his face against mine, the short stubble on his jaw tickling me slightly before he added, "You're not fat, how many times have I told you that you're perfect?"

Biting my lips once more, I remained quiet for a few seconds before answering, "You're my best friend, you're supposed to say nice things."

"Agreed, but I'm also obligated to be honest, and I would never lie to you, I love you..." Zayn then kissed along the side of my jaw a few times before he resumed nuzzling me.

"I love you too Z..."

My response was immediate and I hated the husky way that my voice sounded. With his lips upon my skin, my eyes involuntarily closed.

I wished that he loved me the way that I loved him. But the fact that he loved me like family was definitely good enough for me, as I knew that he would always be there for me.

We stood in silence for a while before I realised that I needed to put some distance between us.

"As much as I enjoy our little hug sessions, I need to finish these sandwiches," I said and gently squeezed his hands in mine so that he could let me go.

Grumbling under his breath, he reluctantly released me and went to get some plates. He sat by the kitchen island and watched me like a hawk while I made our sandwiches then placed them on the panini press.

My eyes remained focused on the counter in front of me, doing my best not to look over to him.

Zayn only wore long pyjama pants, and from the corner of my eye, I snuck glances at his exposed muscular chest before my eyes lowered to the imprint of his crotch against the dark material. My finger tapped rapidly against the counter as I shook my head, willing my thoughts to go to less perverted images.

I knew that he was looking at me, for I could feel his heated gaze travelling over my body. I was wearing black cotton shorts with a matching tank top. As I felt his eyes linger on my chest, my nipples hardened even more and I silently scolded my body.

Traitor!

Zayn cleared his throat and I glanced over to see him shifting in his seat. He had this look in his eyes and I was not sure what to make of it.

Since I had feelings for him, I was never certain if I was imprinting my own desires on the situation and seeing things as I wanted them to be and not what they really were.

Was he checking me out? Or was he just being his usual overly observing self.

The timer on the panini press pulled me back to reality and I was glad to preoccupy my mind with something other than thoughts of the sexy male a few feet away from me. Walking over with the plates in his hand, I placed our sandwiches on them and grabbed us some bottled waters as we sat at the kitchen island.

"You want to watch a movie after?" he suddenly asked.

As I stared up into his beautiful eyes, I felt my heartbeat increase, "You're not going back upstairs to play games with Kamdyn?"

"Nah! I've been with him for most of the day, you know I need to get my daily Chipmunk fix!" Zayn replied, flashing me a smile before saying, "Besides, we have not really had any quality time together since before exams, studying together doesn't count."

It had indeed been a few weeks since we sat down just the two of us and had one of our movie marathons. So, with a shake of my head and a big smile, I quickly agreed.

After feeding each other, we went back upstairs to brush our teeth and grab some blankets before meeting back in the media room. This had always been one of my favourite rooms in the house as it was so cosy, with low lighting and large plush couches.

I wish I could tell Zayn that I liked him, but I was afraid that he did not feel the same way. The thought of losing what we had scared me. I would rather remain like this, as best friends, than risk telling him my feelings and making things awkward.

Cuddling up next to each other, we settled on a horror film and I rested my head on his chest, listening to the sound of his heart, a small smile on my face.

They say you are blessed if you can get even one good friend in your life. I was more than lucky; I had a handful of amazing friends and two extra special people in my life, in the form of my twin brother Kamdyn and Zayn.

I definitely did not want anything to come between our friendship, so I planned to keep my feelings a secret.

What we had right now was definitely better than nothing.

Have you ever felt torn? Completely indecisive to the point where you have no idea what to do? Well, I was currently having one of those moments.

So, what did I do?

What I always did: I called for reinforcements.

"Kamdyn!" I yelled out my twin brother's name while standing in front of the mirror.

A few seconds later, he came running into my bedroom, his eyes wide and frantic.

"What's wrong? Are you ok?" he asked as he walked up to me, his blue-green eyes full of concern.

Nodding, I had a pout on my face as I replied, "Yea, I just need your opinion on something for Jessica's party later. Should I wear the black sheer stockings with this black bodycon or the black fishnet ones?"

"Bloody hell lil' sis! I thought you were dying or something," Kamdyn grumbled, though he walked over to the clothing options that were laid out on the bed.

I rolled my eyes, "Pfft, you'd swear you were like ten years older than me or something and not just a whooooole one minute the way you act."

"Hey, I was born first, regardless if it was by an hour, a minute or a second. It makes me the older one," he grinned before adding, "and I'd go with the fishnet, makes them thick thighs of yours look banging."

"Ugh, such a boy," I laughed softly while playing with a lock of my curly honey-brown hair.

"Don't act like you don't come begging for my male opinion Kaelyn," he exaggerated the pronunciation of each syllable of my name.

"I don't beg...!" my cheeks flushed while putting away the sheer stockings before moving back to stand in front of the mirror.

"Uh huh, anyway, Zayn said he'd be here in a few minutes. Why don't you ask for his opinion? I mean, seeing as that's whom you're dressing up for anyway," he raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Kamdyn walked up behind me and put his muscular arms around my waist.

"Come on KL, we turn 18 in a few weeks, when are you going to tell him?" my brother asked as he rested his chin on my shoulder.

"Erm, never? Come on KD," my voice strained before continuing, "you know I don't want to break up the friendship and bond that we have."

Laughing, Kamdyn agreed, "Yea well, I suppose the three of us being best friends was inevitable given that all our parents are best friends. But I mean, one of us has got to fulfil our parents' wish of joining the two families."

I grumbled incoherently under my breath as I watched our reflection in the mirror.

"What? Don't look at me like you don't want the same thing. Besides, Zayn's little sister Zara is jailbait so there's no hope of us ever dating!" Kamdyn said as he scrunched his nose up at the thought.

A small teasing grin formed at my lips while speaking, "She's only 5 years younger, nothing a few years of waiting can't solve."

"Yea, no. We both know that's not an option. Either way, everyone's betting on you and Z to hook up at some point, even me!" he countered with a cheesy smirk.

Shaking my head, I could not help but ask, "I don't see how that's ever going to happen. I mean he changes girlfriends almost as fast as you do! I Swear I don't know how you guys can claim to respect women and do the things that you do."

"Okay first of all, we respect women! Secondly, we respect their right to express their sexuality in any which way they want–" Kamdyn said with a knowing grin before my elbow to his ribs stopped him mid-sentence.

"Gross! I thought I told you to never give me details of your sexcapades! Ugh!" my face soured at the thought of my twin having sex.

"Just wait, you'll ask for specifics when you're ready to lose that virginity of yours," he teased me before adding, "although I'm sure Zayn can manage just fi–"

This time I elbowed him even harder as I cut him off again.

"Ow! Damn, I'm just joking sis, stop hitting me!" he complained with a pout.

"Then stop saying shit!" I countered with a matching scowl of my own.

My brother's facial features changed as he added with a smile, "And for your information, you know very well that he's never had a girlfriend and those are just girls that he dates, big difference."

"Uh huh. Has Z told you he's interested in me? I mean, you're telling me to approach him but I'm not about to make a fool out of myself and make things awkward between us," I say as my gaze remained fixed on my brother.

Kamdyn shrugged casually, "You know the rules of Triple Threat, we don't break the bond. Whatever the other confides, we keep it a secret."

Did I mention that we had a strict Switzerland policy between the three of us?

Yeah! If there is a fight between two of us, the other in the group does not get involved. Similarly, when we confide in each other, we keep it a secret, unless it's a secret that everyone in the group should know about.

"Look sis, we both know that you can get any guy that you want, and if you wanted Zayn, I'm pretty sure you could have him. I've seen him flirting with you, maybe instead of rolling your eyes and brushing him off, you should flirt back?" he suggested, while raising his eyebrows.

"Yea, he flirts, but he flirts with everyone, so how do I know if he's being serious or not?" I countered curiously.

Shrugging, Kamdyn replied, "You won't know unless you try. It's like I said, if you really like him, go after him. He's a guy, we aren't that difficult to figure out. I mean hello, he'd be stupid not to like you. Look at yourself, you're gorgeous!" his hands rested on my shoulders, giving me a reassuring squeeze.

"Just because society thinks I'm gorgeous doesn't mean I can't be self-conscious..." my voice trailed off as I bit my inner cheek

"Yea well, I guess I can understand you wanting to hide your butt from the greedy eyes of men. But it's a bit useless, seeing as it has its own gravitational pull!" my twin playfully commented as he slapped the air over my right buttock.

"You're such a idiot! Get out!" I elbowed him in the ribs once again, in the same spot.

Kamdyn groaned and hunched over for a bit, "Gods, you're always so violent!"

When he caught his breath, he stuck his tongue out at me then laughed as he walked out of my bedroom with an exaggerated swish of his hips, his attempt at a girly walk.

My brother is an ass! But I love him.

Looking back to the mirror I sighed while looking at my reflection, "Cheer up Kaelyn, one day you'll get the courage to tell him how you feel. Pfft yea right!" I laughed at the girl staring back at me before I finished getting ready.

I really did not want to mess up the friendship that we had. In fact, we were more like family so to speak. That was how our parents raised us.

A few years ago, Zayn and his family had moved next door to us, because you know, having wealthy parents, why not. Not to mention my Aunty Hannah had insisted our parents move closer.

The Arnauld's and the Maalouf's always did everything together. And I mean everything: from weekly dinners to joint family vacations.

Kamdyn, Zayn and I grew up like siblings, which in a way made my situation feel a bit weird, as Zayn is like a brother to me. But I just could not help the way that I felt about him, one day he was like a second brother, the next day I was day-dreaming about having his babies.

"Ugh!" I muttered.

Shaking my head clear of all thoughts, I went to get ready.

Later that night, when Zayn came over, he was looking fine as usual, wearing a simple white shirt with the sleeves rolled up to the elbows and dark wash jeans.

Zayn had these odd yet alluring intense blue eyes. Eyes that could pierce through your soul with just one look.

My brother and I went into the foyer to meet him.

"Wow Chipmunk!" Zayn said, while playfully tugging on my large cheeks before kissing them. His eyes then trailed over my body, "I'm not sure how I feel about this dress, it's a bit short don't you think. Seems like your clothes have been getting shorter and tighter as of late."

At his critique of my clothing, I raised my eyebrows as my hands went to rest on my wide hips.

"What are you, my daddy?" I asked, then immediately regretted it as my mind went to the gutter.

Raising his right eyebrow, Zayn looked at me inquisitively, his eyes narrowing slightly. Before he could reply, I quickly continued to speak.

"Come on Z don't start again! I'm tired of having to hide my curves under baggy clothes, it makes me look bigger than I really am. Besides, if any guys try anything you and Thing #2 over there will make sure I'm safe as always," a soft laugh escaped me as I ran my hands down the sides of my black sleeveless dress.

"Damn right sis!" Kamdyn chimed in.

My brother was happy that I had a more positive view of my body lately.

"I wasn't planning on fighting tonight, but fine! Don't get upset if I bust some asshole's lip open against because he says some shit!" Zayn growled as he shoved his hands into his jeans pocket.

Zayn, like Kamdyn, had always looked out for me. Which was ironic, since I've been beating them up since we were children.

When I first realised my feelings for Zayn a few years ago, it had taken me some months to get my emotions under control. As outgoing as I appeared to be, there was just something about him that made me feel shy where my new emotions were concerned.

The constant blushing whenever I was in his presence, coupled with the awkward feeling that I would have, had unnerved me. Thankfully, my brother would always come to the rescue. We had blamed that weird phase on puberty.

I was so happy to have outgrown that awkward stage now that I had a better handle on my emotions and reactions where Zayn was concerned.

"Okay you muppets, let's go!" I grabbed them each by the ear and dragged them towards one of the many cars in the garage.

"Always so violent!" Kamdyn complained.

Zayn added, while grumbling, "Easy on the ears!"

Ignoring them, "I call bagsy!" My grin was wide as I shouted before getting in the passenger side of the large SUV.

Kamdyn sat in the backseat, his head buried in his mobile phone, letting Zayn drive as usual.

As we headed to the club where Jessica's birthday party was being held, I kept stealing glances at Zayn. I could not help but admire the way the muscles on his forearm flexed as he gripped the steering wheel.

The scent of his cologne dazzled my senses, and I wanted nothing more than to reach over and kiss him. I wondered what his lips would taste like. We had pecked on the lips before, you know, by accident. But unfortunately, we have never kissed or done anything inappropriate.

No, all such actions were relegated to my overactive imagination, which I would then sometimes write down in my journal in the form of a poem.

Licking my lips, I fidgeted somewhat in my seat, and I pressed my thighs together, to relieve some of the pressure that I felt. My skin sizzled as though it was on fire and I had to do my best to keep my face neutral as he talked to us about our summer plans and what we should do for our birthday party this year.

The sound of his deep voice was so hypnotising, I had to fight in order to remain focused on what he was saying.

Ugh!

I could not wait to get to the club. I needed a drink or ten! You guessed it; I was planning on getting wasted tonight!